Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
April 20, 2017

Members of the legal fraternity Wednesday paid tribute to former police officer, public prosecutor and public counsel Eli Edwards who passed away last Thursday after battling cancer.

Madam Justice Michelle Weekes paid homage to the man many described as a friend and dedicated worker in the No.2 Supreme Court.

Justice Weekes told the sitting she had met Edwards in 1983 at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus while studying law. She said during his time there he “became a protector” of sorts to the younger students and was a “gentleman who readily shared his experiences
with us”.

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Donna Babb-Agard and Principal Crown Counsel Alliston Seale remembered Edwards as being famous for his“blue book” and note-taking.

“I always characterized Edwards as always having a quick wit and was very sharp . . . and he was now completing his service elsewhere,” Babb-Agard said.

Seale, who would have worked with Edwards while both were members of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF), described Edwards as a man who was always “fair”.

Edwards served in the Courts Prosecutors Office of the RBPF before leaving that institution. He also worked in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as public counsel. Edwards also represented the Barbados Association of Retired Persons and the Barbados Small Business Association during the Barbados Light & Power rate hearings.